Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday launched a major new initiative to expand California’s health care workforce and recruit health care professionals to address the COVID-19 surge. Health care professionals with an active license, public health professionals, medical retirees, medical and nursing students, or members of medical disaster response teams in California are all encouraged to join the new California Health Corps.

During a press conference Tuesday, Newsom said that within 24 hours 25,000 medical professionals had applied to join Health Corps. “I’ve never been more damn inspired in my life,” Newsom said of professionals willing to “put their lives back on the line” while “knowing that the (personal protective gear) may not be there when they go back … into the hospital room.”

Interested medical and health care professionals are encouraged to visit healthcorps.ca.gov for more information and to register for the California Health Corps. Medical doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, behavioral health scientists, pharmacists, EMTs, medical and administrative assistants, as well as certified nursing assistants are encouraged to apply. They will be paid volunteers and will receive malpractice insurance coverage.

The governor also signed an executive order that will temporarily expand the health care workforce and allow health care facilities to staff at least an additional 50,000 hospital beds the state needs to treat COVID-19 patients.

“California’s health care workers are the heroes of this moment, serving on the front lines in the fight against this disease. To treat the rising number of patients with COVID-19, our state needs more workers in the health care field to join the fight. If you have a background in health care, we need your help. Sign up at healthcorps.ca.gov,” said Newsom on Monday.

California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su said, “Outreach to unemployed health care workers and under-employed foreign medical graduates will help build the workforce needed to fight the pandemic — and also create new opportunities and jobs for Californians struggling with unemployment.”

More ways for Californians to support their communities and request assistance are outlined on the California Volunteers website serve.ca.gov. For more information on the state’s response to COVID-19, visit covid19.ca.gov.